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AniMat's Classic Reviews - South Park: Bigger, Longer
AniMat's Classic Reviews - South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut '''is an episode of AniMat's Classic Reviews and an episode of Season 2014. Despite not being a huge watcher of South Park, AniMat declares Bigger, Longer & Uncut to be one of the greatest animated features ever made. He praises the top-notch writing, the loveable and developed characters, and the unforgettable songs, and notes that while the film's animation is a bit poor, for something like South Park, that's to be expected. He ultimately gives it the AniMat Seal of Approval and a score of 9/10. Transcript '''Scene 1: Introduction * AniMat (voiceover): South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Of course I've heard a lot about South Park, from the characters to some of the jokes. But I wouldn’t say that I watched the show a lot. I saw some episodes and they are quite hilarious, but I guess I couldn’t find the time to watch it periodically or something around these lines. Also, if there is one thing I know very well about South Park, it’s practically the central figure of controversy in the field of animation. Cartman and the gang sure know how to get themselves into trouble, rather than be poking fun at Scientology or actually showing a depiction of Muhammad. But onto their theatrical debut, can they really bring up the laughs in feature-length time, or is this something that will make you go... (Imitates Eric Cartman) “Screw this movie! I’m going home!”? Let’s find out. Scene 2: Story * AniMat (voiceover): From what I gather, it does happen in the show when the kids would get themselves into situations of epic proportions. So I’m not a hundred percent sure if Bigger, Longer & Uncut is the biggest adventure they’ve been to yet. But either way, what it offers is definitely something worthy enough for the big screen. It tells the story of how a rated-R film with a lot of farting and swearing lead up to a big war between the US and Canada, and then all hell breaks loose. Considering that the movie itself is one of the very few rated-R animated features out there, it offers something that not even the animated films of today would ever think of doing, making the story itself both edgy, shocking, and completely original. In a way, it’s also kind of refreshing and even interesting to see something like this, how animation is often restrained from the ideology of “fun for the whole family”, and then this film comes in to break out of that mold, allowing it to be open to all sorts of new opportunities. So, as a comedy, the humor is just everywhere. There are times it’ll go lowbrow by always farting and swearing, sometimes, it could go over-the-top, sometimes, it’s to give out shock value, and sometimes, it could be really clever. It offers such a variety of gags and packs as much as they can for an 80-minute film that it makes it hilarious the whole way through, and you never know what will they do next. Another note I’d like to mention is how the film also acts as a commentary on censorship and parent activists, which goes into what kids should and shouldn’t be allowed to be exposed to, and how activists say that they are doing it for the future of their children, when in reality, they are doing absolutely nothing to their kids directly and causing more harm than good. * Shelia Broflovski: We must fight for our children's futures! * Stan Marsh: You started a war, you have to stop it! * Sharon Marsh: To make them safe again! * Stan Marsh: Hello? * Shelia Broflovski: Our children are precious! * Stan Marsh: Hello? * Shelia Broflowski: We must make a stand now! * AniMat (voiceover): This is literally one of those stories that take what we know about writing in animation, and bring it to a whole new level. Scene 3: Animation * Kyle Broflowski: Cartman, what are you talking about? You love Terrance and Phillip! * Eric Cartman: Yeah, but the animation's all crappy. * AniMat (voiceover): Oh, boy. What can I say about this? Now, if you look at the animation of South Park itself, you could say that this is the lowest of the low, even more than Hanna-Barbera standards. Not only does it look basic and literally flat, but it can even be considered unfinished. However, when it comes to this movie, it has an excuse to why it looks like this. Since South Park is capable of getting away with its art style as a TV show, it can also get away for its movie because that’s what’s expected in something like South Park. This is mostly the case with many other films based on a TV series. But for what they did with the animation itself, even if it is very limited, it still offers so much and it really makes it look big. Since the audience have already accepted that this is South Park, it makes it really easy to be so immersed in the little town and what’s going on. This really does help with some of the action scenes, making them look quite intense. But possibly, the biggest highlight with the animation is the musical numbers. These are the moments when the animators go all-out and make a big show out of what they got. In fact, with the nice choreography and backgrounds all around them, it really does look like one big Broadway show. Another thing this has as a bonus is some of the scenes when Kenny goes to Hell. The film suddenly incorporates crazy computer animation that really gives out this out-of-this-world feeling. It seems weird at first, but the movie manages to make it work. Yes, it definitely looks cheap, but for something like that, it’s still a pretty good job. Scene 4: Characters * AniMat (voiceover): This movie decided to tackle on the crazy task of incorporating as many characters as they can. Yes, I know that many of them are from the show, but still, having so many characters in one film can often lead to disaster. (Clips from Ice Age: Continental Drift are briefly shown) I mean, take a look at some of the Blue Sky films. They often try to incorporate so many characters at once, and the result is that many of them have no purpose to be in the film, or worse, do absolutely nothing. But what’s even more insane about Bigger, Longer & Uncut is that it somehow found a way...to make it work. They bring out all these characters from the show and not only flesh them out, but also gave each of them a development in that 80-minute time. This is evident with the main four kids. Cartman has to be forced not to swear, which is really difficult, being the loveable douchebag he is, Stan is on a pursuit to find a way to make Wendy like him, Kyle has to learn how to grow some balls and confront his own mother, and Kenny has to deal with the situations that are going on in Hell, because... * Stan Marsh: They killed Kenny! * Kyle Broflowski: You bastards! * AniMat (voiceover): There are also a lot of other characters that, even if they do have a small part, they still play an important role in the film or go through their own development, like Mrs. Broflovski as the head activist going out against Canada, Mr. Mackey, Chef, Mr. Garrison, Terrance and Phillip, and so much more. But the two characters that really stand out by being both really funny and interesting are Satan and Saddam Hussein, where Satan is really not happy with his relationship with Saddam because all Hussein wants is just sex. * Satan: How come you always want to make love to me from behind? Is it because you want to pretend I'm somebody else? * Saddam Hussein: Satan, your ass is gigantic and red. Who am I gonna pretend you are? Liza Minnelli? * AniMat (voiceover): With the way this movie handles its characters, both in quantity and quality, it truly is something to admire. Scene 5: Songs * AniMat (voiceover): I’ve already said this when I talked about the animation, but the songs are the highlight of this movie. Like the film itself, they are all very well-written, hilarious, and just all-around fun. Also, it offers such a variety of musical moments that each one of them is able to stand out. There are some that are uplifting and emphasize more on the fun like “I’m Super” or “It’s Easy, MMMKay”. * Big Gay Al: (singing) I'm super! Thanks for asking! / All things considered, I couldn't be better, I must say! * AniMat (voiceover): Some that put more of a Broadway spin to it like “La Resistance” or “Up There”. * Satan: (singing) Up there, there is so much room. / Where babies burp and flowers bloom. / Everyone dreams, I can dream, too. * AniMat (voiceover): And then there are some that are meant more for the humor and satire like “Blame Canada” or “Kyle’s Mom’s a Bitch”. * Shelia Broflowski: (singing) Blame Canada! * Mothers Against Canada: (singing) Blame Canada! * Shelia Broflowski: (singing) It seems that everything's gone wrong since Canada came along. * AniMat (voiceover): What really makes them so grand is mostly how it contrasts how the movie looks. Where South Park looks like it’s using basic animation, the songs are masterfully orchestrated and makes the movie give it more of a feeling that it’s bigger than it is. But the reason why the songs work so well is how many of them are so good, even on their own. You can make someone who hasn’t seen the film listen to “It’s Easy, MMMKay” or “Up There”, and chances are, they will enjoy what they hear. Although that, yes, a few like “I Can Change” would need some context from the film in order to completely understand them, it doesn’t change the fact that they’re so well done. Seems like Disney’s not the only one that can make a highly-memorable soundtrack. Scene 6: Verdict * AniMat (voiceover): I never thought I’d say this for something like South Park, but Bigger, Longer & Uncut is one of the most phenomenally written animated features out there that is so funny, grand and thought-provoking, while giving out a soundtrack full of unforgettable songs. Now, for my recommendation, I’m only going to say this. I wouldn’t really let small kids watch it, and this is not meant for the easily offended or those that hate South Park. For everyone else, this is a must-watch. There are some people who would even go as far and say that this is one of the greatest animated films of all time, and honestly, I can understand why. This is something unlike any other animated film, and will be a favorite to many for years to come. And for that, it truly earns the AniMat Seal of Approval. Ratings * Story: 10/10 * Animation: 7/10 * Characters: 10/10 * Songs: 10/10 * Overall: 9/10 Category:AniMat's Classic Reviews Category:AniMat's Classic Reviews episodes